Education Information Literacy Standards Document

(scroll down the page - this is where to write!)

 

from ILAC guidelines

 

Document Structure

Subject-specific information literacy standards should be drafted in a manner that demonstrates alignment with the Information Literacy Competency Standards for Higher Education and any relevant documents and language within the discipline.

 

A set of subject-specific information literacy standards should:

 

Include an introduction and/or appendix that either lists or generally describes:

 

* scope and purpose of the standards

* disciplines and fields of study addressed

* students addressed (e.g., undergraduates, distance learners, etc.)

* intended audience for the document

* special challenges related to information literacy in that discipline

* sources used in preparation of the standards

* brief description and timeline of the development process.

* include the five information literacy standards from the Information Literacy Competency Standards for Higher Education

* use the same language and numbering as appeared in the original document for consistency when possible; if not possible, provide some rationale for the differences

 

o List performance indicators and/or outcomes for student learning that are:

* aligned with the meaning and intent of the standard or indicator to which they are connected clearly worded and in simple statements

* concise and specific as possible

* assessable through either quantitative or qualitative approaches 

 

See Bloom’s Taxonomy for appropriate language for outcomes http://faculty.washington.edu/krumme/guides/bloom1.html

• cohesive and non-duplicative when viewed as a whole; the same indicators and
• outcomes should not be repeated for different standards.
• follow the format of the Information Literacy Competency Standards for Higher Education document when possible; if not possible, provide some rationale for the differences

 

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Introduction (Alison & Kathy) 

 

Why? (Scope and purpose of the standards)

 

The quickly changing media and information landscape requires increasingly sophisticated information literacy skills for navigation, evaluation, and use (Jenkins 2006). Teachers play a key role in providing students with diverse opportunities to learn how to use information wisely. Those preparing to become teachers require a comprehensive understanding of information literacy to guide their own knowledge creation activities which will ultimately impact their future students.

 

Research has shown that these future teachers often enter teaching without the necessary skills and knowledge (Laverty and Reed, 2006). Experiences in pre-service programs will shape how they model and facilitate student learning in their classrooms. As pre-service teachers construct their knowledge about instruction, learning and assessment they have to develop the information literacy tools and knowledge that will enable them to critically evaluate and use diverse information sources including electronic and print. When they enter the classroom they will become powerful models for their students in how they critically navigate the current maze of information to use as data to construct credible arguments. Information literacy competencies will enable pre-service teachers to construct a robust understanding of the importance of information literacy in their lives as well as in the lives of their students.

 

The ACRL Information Literacy Competency Standard for Higher Education provided a unifying framework for applying the standards within the discipline of teacher education.  

 

What and Whom (* disciplines and fields of study addressed/ students addressed (e.g., undergraduates, distance learners, etc.)

 

These information literacy standards are designed for and focused on instruction opportunities appropriate for pre service teacher education students. Teacher education students who matriculate as undergraduate or graduate students pursue elementary, secondary and special education emphases within either resident or distance learning programs. Pre-service teachers enter the university/college context with varying skills and knowledge in regards to working with diverse information sources and technologies. The Information Literacy standards for Educators will become a benchmarking tool to enable all pre-service teachers to enter their own classrooms with the necessary information literacy skills and knowledge.

 

This document focuses on K-12 pre-service teachers as a starting point. The field of education encompasses a broad range of specialties whose specific contexts could not be addressed in the information literacy standards for Educators. Needless to say many of the specific examples within this document will be relevant to education specialties outside of our scope. In fact the purpose of these standards is to provide a foundation that will work for any teacher education student.

Another challenge is addressing the transfer of information literacy skills from teachers to their students. This document focuses on how pre-service teachers utilize information literacy in their own academic work and integrate information literacy skills and knowledge in curriculum, instruction and assessment in K-12 classrooms.

 

Intended audience and use for the document

 

The Information Literacy Standards for Teacher Educators will bridge the ACRL Information Literacy Competency Standard for Higher Education and the application of the information literacy standards in teacher education contexts (Cook and Cooper 2006). Our intended audience is librarians, faculty members, and teachers who are seeking guidance on information literacy standards for pre-service teachers and ways to integrate information literacy in their curricula and courses. The hope is that this document will create a unified vision of information literacy and its importance in teacher education curricula as well as guide the design of curriculum, instruction and assessment in pre-service teacher education programs.

 

Sources used in preparation of the standards

 

The ACRL Information Literacy Competency Standards for Higher Education provided the basic framework for developing these discipline specific standards. The Instruction for Educators committee utilized the resources gathered on the EBSS Connecting the Standards website for our review of related frameworks. This site was designed to provide examples of collaborative practices that help bridge the ACRL Information Literacy Competency Standards to other existing Education standards. This information facilitated a point by point analysis of relevant standards documents from relevant organizations. In addition we reviewed relevant literature in both library science and education focusing on information literacy standards for teacher education students.

 

Brief description and time line of the development process.

 

This project was initiated in 2007 at the ALA Midwinter Meeting in Seattle. A wiki was set up to use as an on-going development tool for the project. The first focus was a review of the relevant literature. The initial literature review was completed by the 2007 ALA Annual Conference in Washington. At this point in time the committee decided to begin reviewing the ACRL Information Literacy Competency Standards for Higher Education within the context of education. The review also included the examination of other relevant standard documents related to teacher education. At 2008 ALA Midwinter in Philadelphia the committee reviewed progress on the standards review. The decision was made to continue working individually on specific standards with the goal of developing group criteria to use to evaluate the competencies at the 2008 Annual meeting in Anaheim.

 

To be continued…

 

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Standard One (Eric) (updated 3/09 by Kate)

The information literate student defines and articulates the need for information, and plans strategies and selects tools to find that information.

 

1. The information literate student defines the information need by:

a.    Identifying the purpose for which information is needed (e.g., research paper, lesson plan, oral presentation)

b.    Determining the audience and other factors that influence the information need, such as the scope and length of a paper to be written or the characteristics of students for which a lesson plan must be written

c.    Identifying the type of information needed (e.g., assessment instrument, educational standard, image, journal article, research report, statistics)

d.    Exploring general information sources to increase familiarity with a topic

 

2. The information literate student articulates the need for information by:

a.    Developing a thesis statement and/or key questions

b.    Breaking down the thesis and/or key questions into component concepts and terms

 

3. The information literate student plans strategies to fulfill the information need by:

a.    Recognizing that knowledge is organized in disciplines and inter- and multi-disciplinary studies that influence the way it is produced, organized, disseminated, accessed, and preserved

--- Recognizing the resources of key information institutions, organizations, and platforms, including libraries, archives and special collections, publishers, databases, and the Internet

b.    Understanding how education and related behavioral and social science information is formally and informally produced, organized, disseminated, accessed, and preserved

c.    Identifying the value and differences between primary, secondary, and tertiary sources in a variety of formats for the information need (e.g., historical photographs as teaching tools vs. as research paper sources, popular vs. scholarly literature, audio oral history vs. transcript)

d.    Considering the relevancy of literature of other disciplines to address the information need

e.    Modifying and/or focusing their initial thesis statement or questions to achieve a manageable focus

f.    Recognizing that research involves combining existing information with original thought, experimentation, and/or analysis to produce new information

g.    Developing a realistic plan and timeline to acquire the needed information

 

4. The information literate student selects sources of information and tools to access them by:

a.    Knowing Education-specific electronic indices and databases, notably Education Resources Information Center (ERIC), the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), and PsycINFO

b.    Knowing sources specific to the field of Education (e.g. accreditation standards, certification requirements, curricula, handbooks, manuals, reference materials, statistics and textbooks, as well as book, media and technology reviews), including resources available from professional associations

c.    Determining, and making adjustments to the search process based on, the availability of the information needed and any permissions needed for its use (e.g., interlibrary loan; obtaining images, videos, text, or sound; seeking copyright permissions)

d.    Considering the feasibility of acquiring a new language or skill, or traveling to another location, in order to gather needed information and to understand its context

e.    Reviewing, and if necessary, refining, the initial information need to clarify, revise, or refine their key questions and/or thesis statement

 

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Standard Two (Lee Ann & Mary) (updated 3/09 by Kate)

The information literate student locates and selects information sources based on their appropriateness to the specific defined information need. 

 

1. The information literate student locates information sources by:

a.    Identifying the appropriate investigative method (e.g., literature search, case study, survey, interviews, observations)

b.    Using various classification schemes (e.g., call numbers, table of contents, ERIC document numbers)

c.    Using specialized online or in-person services available to retrieve sources (e.g., interlibrary loan, databases, professional associations, institutional research offices, community resources, experts and practitioners).

d.    Translating the concepts and synonyms representing the information need into the controlled vocabulary of an information retrieval system (e.g., Thesaurus of ERIC Descriptors)

e.    Constructing advanced searches (e.g., Boolean operators, truncation, and proximity for search engines; internal organizers such as indexes for books)

f.    Implementing the search strategy in various information retrieval systems using different command languages, protocols, and search parameters

g.    Following cited references to identify additional pertinent sources

 

2. The information literate student selects information sources by:

a.    Assessing the quality and relevance of the information found

b.    Determining if the information found adequately addresses the information need; identifying remaining gaps

c.    Revising the search strategy as necessary, and continuing to search using the new strategy, retrieval system or investigative method

 

[Not sure this is covered anywhere else yet...5. The information literate student extracts, records, and manages the information and its sources.

a. Selects among various technologies the most appropriate one for the task of extracting the needed information (e.g., copy/paste software functions, photocopier, scanner, audio/visual equipment, or exploratory instruments).

b. Uses various technologies to maintain, organize and manage located resources, citations and information (e.g., bibliographic management software).

c. Differentiates between the types of sources cited and understands the elements and correct syntax of a citation for a wide range of resources.]

 

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Standard Three (Cheryl & Kate)

(Hi Cheryl, In case I'm not doing this right... I'm not going to delete too much.  Instead I am using "Strike Through." I will just highlight my changes in purple. - ES) 

 

The information literate student evaluates information and its sources critically and incorporates selected information into his or her knowledge base, professional practice, and value system. (delete?)     

 

(Standard 3 - The Rachel Version) The information literate student organizes and analyzes information for appropriate use in the specific task.

(Supports NCATE standards 1a, 1b, 1e; ISTE standards 1b, 3d, and 5c)

 

1. The information literate student summarizes the main ideas, data and practices by:   to be extracted from the information gathered

• Understanding and utilizing the organization of literature (e.g., table of contents, abstract, methodology, conclusion) to select the main ideas, data and practices
• Restating numerical data and textual concepts and practices in his/her own words and selecting relevant content to meet information needs
• Identifying verbatim material, practices, reproducible and statistical data that can be then appropriately quoted and/or used in professional practice

 

2. The information literate student articulates and applies initial criteria for evaluating both the information and its sources.

The information literate student evaluates (analyzes?) information by:

• Examining and comparing information from various sources in order to evaluate reliability, validity, accuracy, authority, timeliness, and point of view or bias
• Recognizing the type of information found as primary, secondary, or tertiary and uses this understanding as an evaluative tool
• Recognizing the type of information found as popular, professional or scholarly – inclusive of the target audience – and uses this understanding as an evaluative tool
• Analyzes the structure and logic of supporting arguments or methods
• Recognizes prejudice, deception, or manipulation
• Recognizes content-level of information, and application of information within educational standards and curricula as necessary
• Recognizes the commercial, cultural, historical, physical, or other context within which the information was created and understands the impact of context on interpreting the information and on others’ interpretation of the information

(I copied this section to Standard Five.  Lee Ann)

 

3. The information literate student synthesizes the main ideas, statistical findings and instructional practices in the literature to construct new concepts and practices by:

• Recognizing interrelationships among concepts, curricula, data and/or practices and combines them into potentially useful primary statements with supporting evidence, curricula, data and/or practices
• Extending initial synthesis, when possible, at a higher level of abstraction to construct new hypotheses that may require additional information
• Utilizing computer and instructional technologies (e.g. spreadsheets, databases, statistical software, social networking tools, multimedia, and audio or visual equipment) for studying the interaction of ideas, educational practices, learning styles and other phenomena

 

4. The information literate student compares new knowledge with prior knowledge to determine the value added, contradictions, practical applications or other unique characteristics of the information by:

• Determining whether information satisfies the research, teaching or other information need
• Using consciously selected criteria to determine whether the information contradicts or verifies information used from other sources
• Drawing conclusions based upon information gathered
• Testing theories with education and behavior science methodologies (e.g., observation, surveys, tests)
• Determining probable accuracy by questioning the source of the data (e.g., corporation, institution, publisher, funder), the limitations of the instruments and methodologies used, and the reasonableness of the conclusions
• Integrating new information with previous information or knowledge  (Integrating theory and practice?)
• Selecting information that provides evidence for the research topic, or content for the instructional or educational objective

 

5. The information literate student determines whether the new knowledge has an impact on the individual’s value system and professional practices and takes steps to reconcile differences.  or (The information literate student is able to analyze educational research findings and incorporate new information into their practice as appropriate by)

• Investigating differing viewpoints encountered in the literature
• Determining whether to incorporate or reject viewpoints encountered in research and/or in professional practice 

 

6. The information literate student validates understanding and interpretation of the information through discourse with other individuals, subject-area experts, and/or practitioners by:

• Participating in classroom and other discussions
• Participating in class-sponsored and profession-sponsored electronic communication forums designed to encourage discourse on the topic (e.g., blogs, email, listservs, wikis, virtual conferences, online communities, second life)
• Seeking expert opinion through a variety of mechanisms (e.g., interviews, email, listservs, professional associations, state or national education offices)

 

7. The information literate student determines whether the initial query should be revised and/or consistently reiterated over time by:

• Determining if original information need has been satisfied or if additional information is needed
• Reviewing search strategy, including subject and thesaurus search terms used, and revises or incorporates additional concepts as necessary
• Reviewing information retrieval sources used and expands to include others as needed (e.g., multidisciplinary databases, grey literature, federated searching, worldcat)
• Determining if information currency requires reiteration of search query over time (e.g., save search history and/or create alerts)

 

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Standard Four (Meg & Rachel) 

[Presuming we are talking about pre-service teacher education students here, I feel this standard has a lot to do with how they not only use information now but how they will gain skills to use that information in the classroom as well. Since standard 4 has to do with gathering information and the presenting it: it is not only about how this is done at a university but ultimately how it will be done in their classrooms. I think we need to build this concept into this standard – the information literate student knows how to use information effectively now and is building strategies for the future. Some concepts of lesson planning and creative classroom techniques should be included. One of the things I think is important in this standard is 3a about choosing a communication medium for the product or performance, I think it is important to connect this standard to learning styles and modes. I also think 3b and the use of information technology should delineate some generalities about types of information technology.]

 

Standard Four: The information literate student, individually or as a member of a group, uses information effectively to accomplish a specific purpose. [I copied Kate's method and attached a file with a semi-tweaked Standard 4 for Education students. The file can be found under the Files tab, labeled Standard 4 - draft.doc]

 

Performance indicators:

1. The information literate student applies new and prior information to the planning and creation of a particular product or performance.

Outcomes Include:

*Organizes the content in a manner that supports the purposes and format of the product or performance (e.g. outlines, drafts, storyboards)

*Articulates knowledge and skills transferred from prior experiences to planning and creating the product or performance

*Integrates the new and prior information, including quotations and paraphrasings, in a manner that supports the purposes of the product or performance

*Manipulates digital text, images, and data, as needed, transferring them from their original locations and formats to a new context

 

UPDATED Standard Four:

 

Standard Four: The information literate student, individually or as a member of a group, uses information effectively to accomplish a specific purpose.

 

Performance indicators:

1. The information literate education student applies new and prior information to the planning and creation of a particular product or performance that is applicable to current needs but also shows readiness to apply information in future classroom situations.

 

Outcomes Include:

• Organizes the content in a manner that supports the purposes and format of the product or performance (e.g. outlines, drafts, storyboards)

• Organizes the content in a manner that meets stated learning outcomes or goals and serves the needs of diverse learning styles and needs.

• Articulates knowledge and skills transferred from prior experiences to planning and creating the product or performance

• Integrates the new and prior information, including quotations, paraphrasings, film or video clips, audio files, or material from other media in a manner that appropriately supports the purposes of the product or performance

• Manipulates digital text, images, and data, as needed, transferring them from their original locations and formats to a new context

 

2. The information literate education student revises the development process for the product or performance and uses this information to enhance further knowledge and development.

 

Outcomes Include:

• Maintains a print or online journal or log of activities related to the information seeking, evaluating, and communicating process

• Reflects on past successes, failures, and alternative strategies

• Uses the information gathered from logs and reflection to enhance and redesign future products or performances -- (This hearkens to action research)

 

3. The information literate education student communicates the product or performance effectively to others.

 

Outcomes Include:

• Chooses a communication medium and format that best supports the purposes and learning outcomes of the product or performance and the intended audience

• Chooses a communication medium and format that best supports the learning styles and needs the intended audience

• Ensures online content is ADA compliant [I’m thinking of educators at the K-12 or higher ed level who might generate online content without considering whether or not it’s accessible

• Uses a range of information technology applications in creating the product or performance, including but not limited to e-portfolios, blogs, podcasts, wikis, web pages, whiteboards, online course management systems, or other applications

• Incorporates principles of effective design and communication

• Communicates clearly and with a style that supports the purposes of the intended audience 

 

2. The information literate student revises the development process for the product or performance.

Outcomes Include:

*Maintains a journal or log of activities related to the information seeking, evaluating, and communicating process

*Reflects on past successes, failures, and alternative strategies

 

3. The information literate student communicates the product or performance effectively to others.

Outcomes Include:

*Chooses a communication medium and format that best supports the purposes of the product or performance and the intended audience

*Uses a range of information technology applications in creating the product or performance

*Incorporates principles of design and communication

*Communicates clearly and with a style that supports the purposes of the intended audience

 

 

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Standard Five  (Vicki & Lee Ann; 3/09) 

The information literate student evaluates information for appropriate use in the specific task as well as the information seeking process as a whole. (Supports NCATE Standards 15; ISTE Standards 3d, 4a and 4c)

 

The information literate student evaluates information by:

1. Examining and comparing information from various sources in order to evaluate reliability, validity, accuracy, authority, timeliness, and point of view or bias
2. Recognizing the type of information found as primary, secondary, or tertiary and uses this understanding as an evaluative tool
3. Assesses each article to determine if an article uses the scientific method, without flaws, and provides research data or only provides information. 
4. Selecting current and factual information, avoiding stereotypes or offensive information. 

 

The information literate student evaluates the information seeking process by:

1. Recognizes the need for the information to come from multiple disciplines. For example, consulting education as well as psychology sources for thorough research.
2. Reviews the search strategy with terminology to be sure all possible synonyms have been used.

 

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2. Posts permission granted notices, as needed, for copyrighted material

Standard Five (Henri) Six (Sara, Mary Beth) 

The information literate education student understands many of the economic, legal, and social issues surrounding the use of information and accesses and uses information ethically and legally (Supports NCATE standards 1e; ISTE standards 3d, 4a, and 4c).

Performance Indicators:

1. The information literate education student understands and applies to their knowledge and professional practice the ethical, legal and socio-economic issues surrounding information and information technology. 

Outcomes Include: 

a. Demonstrates a knowledge and understanding of the ethical, legal and socio-economic issues of plagiarism, intellectual property rights, identity theft, censorship, copyright and fair use as it relates to teaching, learning, research and writing.

b. Researches and incorporates into discussions and assignments legal information on specific privacy and security issues in schools such as those dealing with student records, Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), No Child Left Behind, Individuals with Disabilities Educational Act and similar topics.

c. Understands and articulates the value and differences between free and fee-based information resources; recognizes various articles databases such as ERIC, Academic Search, etc. as fee-based resources and recognizes libraries as a low or no-cost source for fee-based resources.

d. Demonstrates a knowledge and understanding of issues and case law pertaining to academic freedom, freedom of expression, dress code and similar topics.

2. The information literate education student follows laws, regulations, institutional policies, and etiquette related to the access and use of information resources.

Outcomes Include:

a. Participates in electronic discussions following accepted practices (e.g. "Netiquette")

b. Has knowledge and understanding of and follows the institution’s policies for computer and software use

c. Uses approved passwords and other forms of ID for access to information resources

c. Complies with institutional policies on access to information resources such as printing, downloading and using copies of articles from periodical databases and courseware such as Blackboard, WebCT or ERes.

d. Preserves the integrity of information resources, equipment, systems and facilities

e. Legally obtains, stores, and disseminates text, data, images, or sound 

·         Demonstrates and understanding of copyright issues pertaining to the downloading and use of electronic files such as digital images, video or MP3s.

·         Takes appropriate steps to obtain permission to use copyrighted material including contacting authors, publishers, producers for permission or purchases content through appropriate vendors.

 

f. Demonstrates an understanding of institutional policies related to human subjects research. 

• knows when and how to acquire permission from the university’s human subjects’ research committee

 

• knows the ethical and legal methods for conducting interviews and surveys

 

3. The information literate education student acknowledges the use of information sources in communicating the product or performance.

Outcomes Include: 

a. Selects an appropriate documentation style and uses it consistently to cite sources

·         Applies correct APA style for citations

·         Uses tools such as EndNote (http://www.endnote.com/), RefWorks(http://www.refworks.com/) or other bibliographic management program to manage research projects, bibliographies and to properly format work in APA style

b. Posts permission granted notices, as needed, for copyrighted material

·         Contacts authors or publishers for permission to use tests, instruments, digital files, images and content from Web sites.

·         Indicates in papers, assignments that permission was obtained to use copyrighted content 

 

• Contacts authors or publishers for permission to use tests, instruments, digital files, images and content from Web sites.

 

• Indicates in papers, assignments that permission was obtained to use copyrighted content